I Was Meant For The Stage…

… but I sure do miss those film sets.

The last time I actually performed on a film set (and not just background work) was in August of 2008 for Death Rally.

Recently, a friend asked me to appear in a short she’d written. It’s an MIP (Member Initiated Project). This means it’s a type of co-op production for ACTRA members. I won’t get any money or union credits for the work I do, but I’ll be toning my film acting muscles and I’ll also be working with pals. Oh, and I actually get to perform in French for once! I don’t see anything wrong with that.

There’s a certain vibe on a film set that makes it different from a stage production. On sets, at least the ones I’ve worked on, I always find there’s this kind of hive mind going on. Some kind of uber sense of teamwork that comes from knowing you have a very limited and often intensely condensed time frame to work with.

Not to say stage work isn’t intense, it’s just different, often a touch more relaxed. Today at rehearsal, I wasn’t happy with the work I was doing. I was promptly told not to worry about it because we still had two weeks to work out the kinks. And it’s true, I do have some time, but if this was film? Forget it! Make it work now or forever hold your peace (or you know, pray you have a good editor).